Cake icing machine



J. k. LITTY Re. 20,572

CAKE ICING MACHINE Dec. 7, 1937.

Original Filed April l4, 1950 8 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR3 mm RLiw y Tru e d .E" Lun din 7, 1937. J. R. LlTTY El AL CAKE ICING MACHINE OriginaIFiled April 14, 1930 8 Sheets$heet 2 Original Filed April 14, 1930 J. LrrTY ET! AL CAKE I'CING MACHINE 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 WITNESS:

. I N i INVENTORS I Iuhn R LiHy Tgued E. Lunflin.

BY I Dec. 7, 1937..

,1. R. LITTY ET AL CAKE ICING MACHINE a Sheets-Sheet 4 Original Filed April l4, 1950 Truali EpLx Jndin- J. R. LITTY ET AL I 72 CAKE ICING MACHINE Original Filed Apr 'il 14, 1930 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 Lundin J. R. LITTY ET AL CAKE ICING MACHINE Dec. 7, 1937.

8 Sheets-Sheet 6 Original Filed April 14, 1930 I WITNESS. 6' a b Dec. 7, 1937.

J. LITTY El AL CAKE ICINGMACHINE ori inal Filed April 14, 1950 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 INVENTORS John R LiH-y Truefl E1. L'un din Dec. 7, 1937.

I ,1 R. LlTTY ET AL Re. 20,572

CAKE ICING MACHINE I 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 ori inal Filed April 14, 1930 I Iuhn Rim NVENTORS rued B 1 5 Reissued Dec. 7, 1937 UNITED STATE CAKE ICING MACHINE John R. Litty, and Trued B.- Lundin, deceased,

late of Philadelphia, by

Elizabeth B.- Lltty.

assignee, Philadelphia, Pa.

Original No. 1,881,747, October 11, 1932,

Serial No. 443,982. April 14, 1930. Application for reissue July 8, 1937, Serial No. 152,584

18 Claim.

This invention relates to a cake icing machine and is particularly adapted for the icing of all kinds and sizes of cakes in a bakery, such for instance as cup cakes, square or oblong layers, all 5 kinds of sweet doughs, doughnuts, eclairs, cream pui! shells,.illling of such cakes as devil dogs" and all other small units where you put a sheet of icing on the top, or where you put a filler in the cake and thereafter ice the top, regardless of whether it has one, two or three layers. v

Cake icing machines in bakeries are not new. Machines have been devised wherein icing was fed from a hopper onto a plurality of cakes, continuously moving beneath the hopper on an endless belt or the like, but these machines have all proven unsatisfactory in that they are incapable of eillciently depositing the different kinds of icings upon cakes under'all different conditions. The general kinds of icings used in a bakery are butter cream icings, grease icings, marshmallow icings and water icings. There are, of course, several icings between these broad general classes, but these are the outstanding species.

Butter cream icings and grease icings are something like putty, that is, they are of a consistency akin to putty, a layer of the same will crack and pull apart, but will not stretch, while marshmallow icing is capable of stretching and may, in its 39 stretched condition, be deposited upon a line of continuously moving cakes without any apparent decrease in thickness.

Water icings are of very thin consistency and iiow veryreadily.

, a hopper has a certain feed means from the bottom of the same which has a constant speed and that the endless belt or table on which the cakes travel has a constant speed. It follows that if the 40 machine is regulated so that a water icing will be properly fed onto the tops of cakes carried by this endless. belt or table that when butter cream or grease icings are fed from the hopper, the speed of the table will be too rapid to properly cover the cakes with this slower or more sluggish icing. This results in the tearing or pulling apart of the icing and some-cakes will only be partially covered, and in the case of small cakes, some will receive no icing.

The object of the present invention is to provide a cake icing machinein which both the speed of the icing feed and the speed of travel of the cakes may be regulated in order that cakes may 55 beproperly covered with icing of different charac- Let us, for the sake-of example, consider that ters and consistencies, therefore, providing flexibility for each requirement. A further object of the invention is to provide mechanism for quickly and conveniently adjusting these speeds in order to obtain the desired result. s

Another object of the invention is to provide the feed mechanism for delivering a'uniform layerv of icing.

According to the invention the cake icing machine is provided with a continuous belt or table which may be adjusted in height, a hopper for containing the icing and provided with rotating means for feeding the icing from the bottom thereof, means for adjusting the width and thick- 4 ness of said icing, means for adjusting the speed of'said feeding means, and means for adjusting the linear speed of said endless belt or table.

The machine may be provided with means for preventing any lumpy material from clogging the fed stream of icing and with means for maintaining the head of the icing in feeding position above said feeding means.

The machine may also be provided with means for elevating the table to a height where there will be the best result in coating the cakes with the icing fed from the hopper. The machine may also be provided with a plurality of hoppers and means provided for'independently raising the table to the desired position between each hopper.

The drawings illustrate an embodiment of the invention and the views therein are as follows:

Figures 1 and l-A represent a front view of an icing machine having two icing hoppers,

Figures 2 and 2-A represent a rear view of the same,

Figures 3 .and 3-A represent a top plan view of the same with the hopper removed and the feed chambers in section,

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view of the hopper and feed chamber and adjacent mechanism, Figure 5 'is a fragmentary end view looking in the direction of the arrow in Figure 4, I

Figure 6 is a fragmentary longitudinal section between the traveling belt supports and is taken beneath either one ofthe hoppers,

Figure 7 is a fragmentary front view of the operating means for adjusting the-thickness of the fed icing.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary top plan view of the icing slot beneath the icing feedchamber, and shows the plates which are adjusted to regulate t e size of this 'slot.

standards I which rest upon the floor and secure- Figure 9 is a side view of one of the scraping plates used in the bottom ofthe feed chamber,

Figure 10 is the deflecting plate mounted on the scraping plate shown in Figure 9, and

Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line llll of Figure 8.

'The icing machine is mounted on suitable side ly fastened to each of these standards are pairs of supporting bars II. The length of these bars is determined by the number of hoppers IS on the machine, and these bars are additionally supported by pedestal bars l9 and such pedestalbars and the side standards l6 may be provided with casters for moving the machine from place to place in the bakery.

The supporting bars I! are provided atapoint near their forward end with an intermediate bearing housing 2| and at a point near their outer endwi'th'an intermediate bearing housing 22. Be-

tween these bearing housings on the oppositesides of the machine there extend shafts 23 and 24, respectively. On the shaft 23 there is mounted a pulley 26,'while on the shaft 24 there is mounted a pulley 21. a

A belt supporting frame 28 is formed from a pair of longitudinally disposed angle bars having cross bars 29 between the same and this frame is supported on its forward end by a supporting arm 3| which is pivotally mounted on the shaft 23 at its one end and pivotally mounted at 32 on the said frame at its other end.

There is also pivotally mounted at 32 a link 33 whose other endis pivotally connected to the inner end of an operating lever 34, and this operating lever is pivotally connectedlat 38 on a member 31 connecting the two front supporting rods H.

The extreme end of the frame 23 is supported by a link 38 which is pivotally connected thereto at 39 and whose other end is rotatably mounted on a shaft 4| in a bearing connection 42 extending between the supporting rod II.

The frame 28 has a downwardly extending leg 44 extending down from each of the angle bars with a bar 46 extending between the lower ends of these downwardly extendingbars.

It also is provided with downwardly extending bars 41, one of which isconnected at its upper end to each of the said angle bars and the lower ends of these bars are provided with a rod 48 which extends between the same.

Resting upon the frame 28 and extending over the pulleys 2G and 21 and over the rod 48 in the bars 44, and under the rod 48 in the bars 41 is an endless belt 49. a v

The upper side of this belt is raised by the raising of the frame 23 and this is accomplished by grasping the hand lever 34 and lowering-the same, and since this bar is pivoted at the point 33, the link 33 will raise the frame on account of its pivotally connected lever 3|, and the frame In addition to the bodily elevation of the frameand continuous belt, there is provided beneath i will, of course, be drawn upward therewith and "necessary in the case of the plates 54 tov provide is a thrust bearing 13.

each of the hoppers and on the cross bars 29 of the frame 28 a hinged plate 54, one end of which may be raised by meansof a cam 58 mounted on a shaft' 51 extending between the angle bars forming said frame. This cam is operated by means of a hand wheel 53. (See Figures 1, l-A, and 6).

When the frame is raised the bars 44 and 41 the additional length of the belt across the top and between the pulleys 28 and 21 will be provided for by the diminishing of the length required between the bottoms of said pulleys by reason of the raising of the rod 48 carried by the bars 41.

This mechanism is so arranged that any raising in the belt will be compensated for by the raising of the rod 48. Of course,- it will not be any release of any part of the belt as there is sufflcient slack in the same to permit this additional rise which, in any event, will be only negligible when considered as increasing the length of travel.

The belt is operated by the following mechanismn a The motor 59, shown in Figure 1, has its armature shaft extending into a gear box 8i and through the gears in which the main shaft 82 is driven. This main shaft 82 is provided with a sprocket 83 which drives a stub shaft 34 through the medium of a chain 88 extending over the sprocket 63 and over a sprocket 81 on said stub shaft.

This stub shaft, is provided with a bevel gear 68 which meshes with a bevel gear 63 mounted in bearings H supported by the supporting rods l1 and on the end of said shaft there is provided a sleeve of said disc and said outer bearing there This disc 12 is engaged by a friction wheel 14 provided with a leather or other frictional facing 16 and said friction wheel I4 may be adiusted so that its periphery engages any desired-point on the friction disc 12 by means of the hand wheel ll.

The sprocket wheel 33 (see Figure loosely mounted on the main shaft 62 andis provided with a clutch I3 which may be operated by means of the handle I3 for securing the said sprocket in rotating engagement with said shaft 82.

Each hopper I3 is mounted on a feed box ll. I

This feed box BI is preferably cast and has a slot 82 extending across the bottom of the same. The sides parallel with the slot are arcuate, as at 33,

and are of the same radius as the feed rolls 34.

These feed rolls, two in number, are mounted on shafts 86 and 81, respectively.

The shafts are journaled in the sides of the feed box and on the front of the machine extend outward through bearing housings II on the side standards and thence into bearings 33 in a bracket 3|.

These shafts are each provided with a gear 42- which intermeshso that said rolls will rotate together. These rolls are provided on their periphf cry with several series of longitudinal teeth 33 providing uncut portions 34 between each series and the rolls are so mounted and so meshed by the gears 32 so that a series of teeth 33 on one roll is always opposite to the uncut portion 94 in the other roll.v The relation changes from one roll to the other as the same arerotated downward in the direction of the arrow B in Figure 4.

a roll scraping plate 86. mg. l is is held in position by the screwsll.

On the other side of the icing'jslot fl2ithere is on the inside of the bottom of the feed boiand another scraping plate '9! which with.

its outer face flush with onesideof said slot,'but this plate has twoor more cut-outfpo'rtions 82, as shown 'in Figure ii, through which there extends a'pin IIII.

' small flanges I02 which fit into the cut-out pore tions 88 and are bent around over the pins IOI so as to form eyelets and thereby provide for the swinging of this deflecting plate.

One side of the bottom of the feed box'is reduced to provide admission for a thickness adjusting plate I04. This plate is pushed back and forth across the icing slot 22 by the following mechanism:

Fastened to each of the side standards II is a bracket IIIB, the upper I end of which carries a rotatable shaft IOI. There is mounted on either end of this shaft and without the bracket a hand lever I02. I

On the hand lever I08 there is a finger I, while on the bracket I08 thereis an extension I I I having a threaded hole through which a limiting screw I i2 extends and the end of which is directly in line with the finger I" on the lever Ill. (See Figure 7.)

The shaft IIlI is provided with a bifurcated arm llhwhich straddles a rod III between two small rs and the inner end of this rod is fastened to the thickness adjusting plate I:

The lower end of the deflecting plate I22 extends down to the point where it will bestruck by the inner end of the thickness adjusting plate I so that when the plate I I4 is pushed inward, de-

creasgngjhe width of the icing slot' l2, the lower end 0 said plate will also be pushed over. thereby preventing any lumps or, in the case of fruit icing,

any fruits from gathering or sticking on that part of the thickness adjusting plate I which extends within the slot I2.

This diverging plate will cause any small lumps of icing or congealed matter to break up as it 1 8 through the reduced slot or. nozzle because the force above the same caused by the rolls ll will push the same down through the opening when there are no projections to catch and hold thesame. m

Mounted on the bottom of the feed box II and p rallelto and on each side of the slot 82 is-a rlate IIB having longitudinal grooves I". Be-

tween these grooves and across the slot 22 oneach side of the machine there lusting plates I II and I Is, respectively.

These latter plates have teeth out in one iongitudinal edge of the same providing a rack I2I. The plate I I l'has its rack meshing with a small pinion I22 which is operated by means of a small hand wheel I23 while the plate II! has a small pinion I24 operated by a smallihand wheel l2! through the medium of a sprocket chain I2I.

Through the operation of these pinions I22 and Y a m the width of the nozzle 1; may be adjusted as desired, and when cakes areplaced upon the endless belt or frame and against the guide bar I28, they'will be in perfect alignment with the nozzle N so that the icing will be spread evenly over the top of the same and to the edges thereof.

' its outer edge fiush with the edgeof said slot is aremounted width ad These guide bars I22, shown in Figure 3, are

mounted on the frame 22 and may be adjusted by loosening the set screw I20 and fixing the same in the desired position.

- The shaft 22 is provided with a sprocket iii and a'relatively large sprocket I22. These sprockets are engaged by chains III and Ill respectively, which engage sprockets loosely mounted on the main shaft 82.

The sprocket which carries the chain III has a toothed clutch face I31. A sliding clutch member I, which said member is splined to the main shaft I2, has complementary clutch faces for engaging elther of the toothed clutch face III or I21 and is operatedby means of the clutch lever III.

It will, therefore, be seen that the rolls 84 in the feed box ll may be operated at two speeds while, if desired, the sprockets and chains Just 'described may be eliminated and the rolls operated through the medium of the friction drive heretofore described foroperating the belt and constituting the friction disc I2 and the frictio wheel It.

The hopper II, which is preferably funnel shaped, has partitions Ill whose side edges fit the inner face of the hopper and whose lower ends extend in close proximity to the periphery of the rolls II and whose upper ends are bent outwardly and fit 'over the beaded upper end of the hopper.

The icing is fed between these partitions so that the same is always maintained in a position where it will have a head for engagement by the rolls N for forcing the same downthrough the nozzle N.

The second or rear hopper and any other hopper which may be added to the machine is an exact duplicate of the one already described and it is operated by means of-a chain I42 fitting a sprocket I" on the shaft 82 and a sprocket I .onthe shaft I". 'Ihis shaft also has a clutch arrangement similar to that on shaft 22 and this clutch is operated by means of the hand operating lever I".

The extreme end of the machine is provided with" a receiving platform I onto which the cakes are transferred from the belt 42.

7 With the particular machine shown in the drawingsthere are two hoppers and this is of particular advantage in many ways, for instance, the hopper at the left hand or outer and of the machine may be provided with a filling which may be depositedvonto the lower layer of a cake and the operator may place another. layer on top of may beused and in the case of three layer cakes, it will only be necessary to equip the machine with an additional hopper.

The-machines have proven of great utility over all former types of icing machines, including those of the applicants.

. Of course, it will beunderstood that the ma--- chine will handle fruit icings where the fruit does not greatly exceed the thickness of the icing placed upon the cake, and it will be readily seen that with the provision of a speed regulating device for the icing feedand also with a speed regulating device for the linear speed'of the endless beltor table the machine will provide a flexibility which will permit cakes of any charthis filled layer as the cake is placed between'the bottom thereof directly onto said cakes, a main shaft for driving said support and said means,

and means for regulating the relative speed between said moving support and said icing feed,

2. A cake icing machine comprising an endless belt for carrying cakes, an icing receptacle having rolls therein for feeding a layer of the icing from the bottom thereof directly onto the tops of said cakes, a main shaft for driving said belt and said rolls, and speed adj'ustingmeans for regulating the relative speed between said table and said icing feed.

3. A cake coating machine comprising a movable support for carrying cakes, adjustable guide bars for positioning the cakes on said support, a receptacle for coating material having means therein for feeding a layer or the material therefrom and onto the tops of said cakes, and means for regulating the relative speed between said moving support and said coating material feed.

4. Coating material feeding mechanism comprising a hopper, a nozzle at the bottom of said.

hopper formed by a swingable side plate and two movable end plates, means for adjusting each of said plates, means cooperating with said side plate for directing the material through said nozzle, and means in said hopper for forcing said material through said nozzle.

5. Coating material feeding mechanism comprising a hopper, a nozzle at the bottom of said hopper formed by a swingable side plate and two movable end plates, means for adjusting each of said plates, a swingable plate cooperating with said side plate for directing the material through said nozzle, and rolls in said hopper for forcing said material through said nozzle.

6. Coating material feeding mechanism comprising a hopper, a nozzle atthe bottom of said hopper formed by a swlngable side plate and two 'movable end plates, means for adjusting the sidev plate and rack and pinion means for adjusting the end plates, means cooperating with saidside plate for directing the material through said nozzle, and means in said hopper for forcing said material through said nozzle.

7. Coating material feeding mechanism comprising a hopper, a nozzle at the bottom of said hopper formed by a swingable side plate and two movable end plates, means for adjusting the s de plate and rack and pinion means for adjusting the end plates, 9. swingable plate cooperating with said side plate for directing the material through said nozzle, and rolls in said hopper for forcing said material through said nozzle.

8. A cakeicing machine comprising a movable belt for carrying cakes, single means for raising and lowering said belt throughout its length, means for independently raising and lowering certain parts of the belt, an icing receptacle having means therein for feeding the icingtherefrom and onto said cakes, and means for regulating the relative speed between said belt and said icing feed.

9. A cake icing machine comprising a movable belt for carrying cakes, a hand operating lever for raising and lowering said belt throughout its 10. A cake icing machine comprising a movable belt for carrying cakes, means for raising and lowering said belt throughout its length, an icing receptacle having means therein for feeding the icing from the bottom thereof directly onto said cakes, a main shaft for driving said belt and said means, means for raising the table at the point where it passes beneath said receptacle, and means for regulating the relative speed, betweensaid belt and said icing feed. I

11. A cake coating machine comprising an endless belt for carrying cakes, a plurality of coating material receptacles arranged along the length of the belt and having means therein for feeding the material therefrom. and onto said cakes, means for raising and lowering the belt throughout its length, and separate means for raising or lowering the belt at the points where it passes beneath the respective receptacles.

12. A cake coating machine comprising an endless belt for carrying cakes, a plurality of coating material receptacles having means therein for feeding the material therefrom and onto said cakes, means for raising and lowering the belt throughout its length, separate means for raising or lowering the belt at the points where it passes beneath the respective receptacles, and

speed regulating means for. varying the linear speed of said belt.

13., A cake coating machine comprising an endless belt for carrying cakes, a plurality of lating means for said material feedingmeans whereby the relative speed between said belt travel and said coating material feeds may be independently regulated as desired.

14. A machine for forming a continuous ribbon of icing of different natures and consistencies and -applying the same to the upper surfaces of a series of cakes, comp rising in combination, a continuously driven support for carrying cakes, an icing receptacle above the said support, continuously driven spaced rolls in said-receptacle for feeding icing from the bottom thereof directly onto said cakes, means for adjusting the width and thickness of the icing ribbon delivered from said receptacle, and means for regulating the relative speed between said support and said icing feed.

15. A machine for forming a continuous ribbon of icingof different natures and consistencies and applying the same to the upper surfaces of a series of cakes, comprising in combination, a continuously driven support for carrying cakes, an icing receptacle above the said support, continuously driven spaced toothed rolls in said receptacle for feeding icing from the bottom thereof directly onto said cakes, means for adjusting the width and thickness of the icing ribbon deiivered from said receptacle, and means for regulating the relative speed between said support and said icing feed.

16. A machine for forming a continuous ribbon of icing of different natures and consistencies and applying the same to the upper surfaces of a series of cakes, comprising in. combination, a continuously driven support for carrying cakes, an icing receptacle above the said support, continuously driven spaced rolls in said receptacle for feeding icing from the bottom thereof directly onto said cakes, means for varying the distance between the support and hopper, means for addusting the width and thickness 'of the icing ribbon delivered from said receptacle, and means for regulating the relative speed between said support and said icing feed.

17. A machine for forming a continuous ribbo of icing of different natures and consistencies and applying the same to the upper surfaces of a series 'of cakes, comprising incombination, a continuously driven support for carrying cakes, an

' icing receptacle above the said support, continuously driven spaced rolls in said receptacle for feed. I

feedingicing from the bottom thereof directly onto said cakes, movable plates for adjusting the width and thickness of the icing ribbon delivered from said receptacle, and'means for regu-.

lating the relative speed between said support and said icing feed.

18. A cake coating machine comprising in com bination, a continuously driven support for carrying cakes, a plurality of spaced coating material receptacles above the said support, continuously driven spaced toothed rolls in each of said receptacles cooperating with means for forming the coating material ribbons onto said cakes, means for independently adjusting the distance between the support and each receptacle, and means for independently regulating the relative speed between said support and each coating material JOHN R. LIT'i'Y. ELIZABETH H: LITT'Y.

Assime Trued B. Lundin, Deceased. 

